Joakim Eskildsen April 10, 2008

Joakim Eskildsen was born in Copenhagen in 1971 where he trained with the Royal Court photographer Rigmor Mydtskov. In 1994, he moved to Finland to learn the craft of photographic book-making with Pentti Sammallahti at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, graduating with an MA degree in photography in 1998. His recently published book The Roma Journeys encompasses his seven year odyssey through seven countries gaining insight into the life of the Roma. Other books include Nordic Signs (1995), Bluetide (1997), iChickenMoon (1999), which was awarded Best Foreign Title of 2000 in the Photo-Eye Books & Prints Annual Awards. Spending time on Eskilden’s site reminded me of why I became a photographer and why photographs mean so much to me.

About the Photograph:

Eskildsen says this about his work: “The people I photograph are usually persons who I admire, and from which I wish to learn something. I mostly try to live with the people for longer periods of time in order to get a better understanding of everything, and to be able to photograph more peacefully. Usually, I am working closely together with writer Cia Rinne who is very gifted with languages. Without this cooperation it would be impossible for me to live and communicate with the people I photograph.”

I have only seen two photos by Joakim Eskildsen so far. The little boy with the wheelbarrow and a shot of a Roma village. Both photos are exquisitely composed, and exude great soulfulness. I was noticed an annoucement of the Roma Journey exhibition, and curious about the name of the photographer. I have studied the Roma culture for some time, and the Danish sounding name of the photographer caught my eye. It is unlikely that I will be able to attend the exhibition, but I will for sure follow the career of this young countryman of mine.

About...

Photographer and photo editor Geoffrey Hiller has created Verve Photo to feature photographs and interviews by the finest contemporary image makers today. Verve Photo is a reminder of the power of the still image. Verve Photo will also point you to new photo agencies, publications, and inspiring multimedia projects.